Lindows Mobile PC for $799

[gwlam12]

933MHZ VIA C3
256MB Ram
20GB HDD
2.9 Pounds
External CD Drive
12.1" TFT
1024x768
2 USB
1 IEEE 1394
CF, LAN, and PCMCIA

http://info.lindows.com/mobilepc/mobilepc.htm

Is it possible to format this thing and install the OS of our choice onto it?

 

[timswim78]

Other users have said that these VIA C3 CPU's are horribly slow. At Christmas time, there were a bunch of threads about this because Wal-MArt had a Lindows PC with one of these CPU's for $199. IF you are interested in a laptop, it seems that every week there is a really nice one for less than $800 (After REbate) at one of the big stores (Staples, BestBuy, CompUSA, and etc . . . )

 

[UltraWide]

looks pretty cool.

 

[drof]

Originally posted by: gwlam12
933MHZ VIA C3
256MB Ram
20GB HDD
2.9 Pounds
External CD Drive
12.1" TFT
1024x768
2 USB
1 IEEE 1394
CF, LAN, and PCMCIA

http://info.lindows.com/mobilepc/mobilepc.htm

Is it possible to format this thing and install the OS of our choice onto it?

it's a regular PC so it should work just fine.
pretty good price for a lightweight machine w/ usb2 and firewire. just add wireless and it'd be a great machine.

 

[laugh]

lindows OS is not an excellent product, but the company sure knows how to market. Good for it.

It's the right market for it. Such laptop does not worth that much, but can sell for sure. It looks like an HP omnibook 900 clone to me.

 

[drof]

Originally posted by: laugh
lindows OS is not an excellent product, but the company sure knows how to market.

but remember there's no microsoft tax on it so you already bought Windows or have another OS to install on it, there's no markup for whatever the mfgr has to pay for a copy of windows that you're not going to use. (XP home is crap and that's what get's bundled with cheaper laptops)

 

[digital3300]

good try but no optical drive and no speakers is bad.... both are needed for it to be called a full fledged system... even if it add $100 o price and 1lb to weight.

how bad is Via CPU? is this 933MHz comparable to a Celery 1GHz or like 500MHz?

for those who don't need either its a great thing... a true notebook!

 

[coolVariable]

that is really cool ...

Too bad they don't include an external DVD/CR-RW and floppy. THEN it would be HOT.
Anyone have any benchmarks for the CPU?
I would like to know its battery life ...


Those really light-weight laptops are awesome. My GF has the Dell one ...
My laptop is an almost lightweight (4.5 lbs / 12.1" TFT / 1" height / DVD-Floppy-interchangeable) but I have come to realize that most of the time when I'm mobile, I don't really need the DVD drive.
And THIS price is sweet. Much better than the Dell X200.
If only their battery life was way better or the CPU better.

 

[Cryo]

Anyone if it would be hard to format and install XP (like driver etc.) on this?
Not a bad for a cheap machine

 

[mrokkam]

http://www17.tomshardware.com/cpu/20020605/

a review by tomshardware

The via c3 seems to be more of a low level processor...not for high level work. It will let u do simple work like maybe check mail etc.... and I think ...since it is an evolution of linux.... u can get cheap linux solutions to run pretty decently on the machine

Mohan

 

[oshelef]

I doubt it would be hard to install XP or the like on this. Everything should be relatively standard parts.

The price and the design on this look pretty good.
If the battery life is good then this could be very nice.

I wouldn't mind paying more, and it being slightly heavier, for builtin speaker(s)(even though I would mostly use some sort of headphone), dvd/cdrw, and internal 802.11b, That said, this is a pretty good looking machine that I would be tempted by if the prices fall some more.


Orie

 

[coolVariable]

it should have standard laptop speakers ....

"Full Duplex, Compliant with AC' 97 Audio"

 

[coolVariable]

Too bad the CPU is soooo slooow.
It might be barely able to hold its own against my current PIII 600MHz ....

For me my next laptop will be a replacement of this 600MHz one and it should be at least twice as fast.

 

[ViperV990]

Since it has a C3 CPU, I'm almost 100% certain that it has a VIA chipset in it with everything built in, so there should be no problem with installing windows xp into it...

 

[TimeKeeper]

Sotec, my sister bought 2 weeks ago is not a bad deal, no? for Extra $50?

And it has $50 rebate also?

 

[Mallow]

I probably wouldn't pay for a lindows system since it is available for free. Build a system and d/l lindows.

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: Mallow
I probably wouldn't pay for a lindows system since it is available for free. Build a system and d/l lindows.

this is a laptop. finding parts to build a laptop might be a bit tricky

 

[robisc]

I'm all for Lindows as well as other Linux OSes, matter of fact I'm posting from the newest Lindows ver. 3.1 right now, but IMO I would go for the $799 Dell laptop and then install Lindows, Lycoris or another OS, you would at least get a faster machine with an optical drive.

 

[JungleMan1]

Dell has 1.6Ghz laptops for $849 with a real operating system and I think even a DVD...

 

[AnyMal]

Why are people keep saying that it has no optical drive? Read the specs, it clearly states that external CD-ROM is included. As fopr the speakers? What kind of external sound do you expect from a laptop, and a tiny one too?

I think Sotec laptop is a decent choice, but Lindows lappy can hold it's own.

 

[coolVariable]

Dells ultra light costs $1600 which is twice as much!!!


We are talking about LIGHT WEIGHTS!! ULTRA LIGHT AND SLIM LAPTOPS!

 

[iamme]

Originally posted by: AnyMal
Why are people keep saying that it has no optical drive? Read the specs, it clearly states that external CD-ROM is included. As fopr the speakers? What kind of external sound do you expect from a laptop, and a tiny one too?

I think Sotec laptop is a decent choice, but Lindows lappy can hold it's own.

Check out the Idotpc.com link: Text......it says "Optional" next to the CD/DVD/CD-RW options.

I wonder if it does or not....

 

[AnyMal]

Originally posted by: iamme

Originally posted by: AnyMal
Why are people keep saying that it has no optical drive? Read the specs, it clearly states that external CD-ROM is included. As fopr the speakers? What kind of external sound do you expect from a laptop, and a tiny one too?

I think Sotec laptop is a decent choice, but Lindows lappy can hold it's own.

Check out the Idotpc.com link: Text......it says "Optional" next to the CD/DVD/CD-RW options.

I wonder if it does or not....

I stand corrected, mistakenly I assumed that CD-ROM was included and DVD/CDRW was optional. Even so, it's still not too bad. You can get an external PCMCIA or USB CD-ROM fairly cheap (less then $50) or build one. I wonder how would one reformat this lappy to run Windows?

 

[coolVariable]

Originally posted by: AnyMal

Originally posted by: iamme

Originally posted by: AnyMal
Why are people keep saying that it has no optical drive? Read the specs, it clearly states that external CD-ROM is included. As fopr the speakers? What kind of external sound do you expect from a laptop, and a tiny one too?

I think Sotec laptop is a decent choice, but Lindows lappy can hold it's own.

Check out the Idotpc.com link: Text......it says "Optional" next to the CD/DVD/CD-RW options.

I wonder if it does or not....

I stand corrected, mistakenly I assumed that CD-ROM was included and DVD/CDRW was optional. Even so, it's still not too bad. You can get an external PCMCIA or USB CD-ROM fairly cheap (less then $50) or build one. I wonder how would one reformat this lappy to run Windows?

I don't know but maybe it is possible to boot from an external USB CD drive ...
Otherwise you can create a second partition under linux, copy the installation file there make it bootable, delete the linux partition, install windows, delete install partition, resize primary windows partition ... THAT would be very complicated though.

 

[TekDemon]

Originally posted by: coolVariable
Dells ultra light costs $1600 which is twice as much!!!


We are talking about LIGHT WEIGHTS!! ULTRA LIGHT AND SLIM LAPTOPS!

Yeah I don't get why some people just can't understand this concept of lightweight...*sigh*